MEDITATION

WHAT IS MEDITATION?

Meditation is a journey inward to the authentic self, the soul that is pure and whole a state of profound, deep inner peace that occurs when the mind is calm and silent, yet completely alert. It is a technology that brings health and healing to mind, body and spirit. The inward journey taken through meditation, if practiced daily, will over time awaken creativity, healing and transformation. Meditation expands our internal reference point from constricted to expanded awareness allowing us to explore our essential nature and restore the memory of our pure wholeness and inner bliss. The silence we can experience in meditation helps to establish an inner quietness in our daily lives providing access to our creativity and enabling us to make more life-affirming choices. Listening to the dialogue of our thoughts quietly opens us up to an awareness of our infinite possibilities, for letting go of thoughts not needed and for allowing our transformation of intention. Meditation is an antidote to stress and a pathway to wholeness and wellness connecting in mind, body and spirit.

WHAT MEDITATION IS NOT

Meditation is not about forcing your mind and body to be quiet but to rather allow and discover our dialogue and the stillness and quietness that is already there when we choose to just let go in mind and body. Meditation is not a religious or cult based practice. Meditation like many things in life does not work for everyone. Keeping an open mind about experiencing meditation in your unique awareness will help with finding your internal peace and allow your body and mind to relax.

WHY SHOULD WE MEDITATE?

Meditation is seen by a number of researchers as potentially one of the most effective forms of stress reduction. It was developed in Eastern cultures and has a documented history of several thousand years. These Eastern traditions developed a method by which a layperson could regularly attain a state of mental peace and tranquility, i.e. relief from stress. A study conducted in 1992 by Achterberg et al at the offices of Alternative Medicine & NIH, showed that a short course of behavior modification strategies that included meditation led to significantly fewer visits to physicians during the 6 months that followed. A study of insurance statistics by McSherry et al showed that the use of medical care was significantly less for meditators compared to non-meditators. The growing emphasis on quality of life outcomes and reducing healthcare costs suggest that stress reduction and improving mental health are becoming increasingly relevant to healthcare.

HOW DO I MEDITATE?

Sit comfortably with shoes removed and a pillow under your feet if possible or just sit comfortably in a safe place. Close your eyes and just follow your breath, feeling it come into your body and leaving your body with a non-judgmental and gentle awareness.

Allow yourself to let go in mind and body by hearing the vibrational sound of SOOOO as you breathe in and HUUUUMMM as you exhale. As thoughts come up just gently repeat the sound of SOOOOO and HUUUUMMM a little louder as you breathe allowing the thoughts to disappear into the background and eventually away into space. Thoughts and ideas of importance will be recaptured after time spent meditating.